Kathmandu, January 17:

Police arrested two women while they were engaging in the illegal exchange of foreign currencies at the main gate of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) today. Keeping flower stalls, the two women used to exchange foreign currencies, including dollars, police said.

Inspector Ganga Pantha of the Metropolitan Police Circle Gaushala identified the two as Devi Karki, 35, and Sharada Budhathoki, 30, of Tilganga. According to Pantha, the two were engaged in illegal transaction of foreign currencies, including Riyal of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Dirham of Dubai and Ringgit of Malaysia. Police also seized Rs 16,000 from them.

Pantha said police had been keeping a close watch on them following complaints that some people were involved in transaction of dollars in the area. "We could not find dollars during the raid today," Pantha said. The two have been sent to the Revenue Investigation Department for further investigation.